I saw the cancer surgeon today, less than one week after receiving my diagnosis (and even that was delayed by my summer vacation). It was a remarkably good experience. He took a lot of time, explained things in detail, and answered questions patiently even before he knew that I’m a retired physician. He did an ultrasound on the spot, and I was able to get an EKG and chest x-ray before I left. Before 11:00am I was scheduled for an early-August thyroidectomy with lymph node dissection. (I find the use of the term “dissection” discomfiting, as it brings up traumatic memories of high school biology lab, but it’s how the surgeons talk.)
Of course, there could still be problems. The pathologist will have to look for evidence of spread of the malignancy and I’ll have to be on thyroid replacement by an endocrinologist. There could be a need for radioablation or even “modified radical neck dissection” — a frankly horrifying proposition. I could also have parathyroid dysfunction or problems with my voice. But in the vast, vast majority of cases, this disease won’t shorten my life. It will just medicalize it. The surgeon said I should recover from the surgery in about two weeks, but in my experience surgeons are endlessly optimistic about recovery times.
So my prospects remain very, very good. We won’t know any more until after the actual surgery, so I’m putting my move on hold until I see how I feel and find out what the pathologist says. It looks promising, though, for getting the mainland house on the market and getting to the island in September.
—2p